Haunting of Hill House Star Carla Gugino Hints at Second Season

Hailed by critics and viewers as one of the best contributions to Netflix horror this year, the mega-hit The Haunting of Hill House concluded the Crain family’s story, leaving viewers wondering if and how a second season would take place. Now, Carla Gugino, who starred as Olivia Crain, the family matriarch, started some fresh buzz on whether the series would continue.

When asked in an interview alongside her friend Connie Britton whether she would return for a second season of Hill House, Gugino told THR, “(Director) Mike Flanagan said he would be interested in the notion of an anthology, where some actors come back to play different characters. I think he feels like he has told the complete story of the Crain family. But if I was invited and I was able to, I would really love to, just because I do love to collaborate with him.”

Flanagan is known for using the same actors for many of his projects, so an anthology for this series would make sense for his work style.

The notion of a second season was previously discussed by Michiel Huisman, who starred as eldest sibling Steven Crain. When asked about the possibility of continuing the series, he told Joe, “Well, you know what, very early on, when we were still shooting this show, we had conversations about what a second season could look like and I think that one of the crazy things about Mike is that he is an infinite well of ideas and stories. I don’t think he ever sleeps! There are possibilities – if the show is a hit – to create a second season and still be in this world of Hill House.”

Britton has been part of an anthology series herself, starring in the first season of American Horror Story. Britton and Gugino spoke about the importance of women’s roles in horror, especially in this climate. “Because the genre is heightened with Hill House, it was very important to me that you’re watching a woman who is losing her mind, or might be losing her mind, and what are the judgments about mental illness? This is a woman who is coming from a very clear perspective of wanting to protect her family and her children from the fate of the world, and I think we’re in a moment in time where we are really afraid for our kids. We are afraid to send our kids to school. It was important to me that it wasn’t just the trope of, “This is the crazy woman in the house.” But rather, this is a mother-cub instinct taken to its nth degree. You could look at Hill House as a study on grief, loss, what is insane and not insane. People have been moved by Hill House, something that theoretically could just be a really scary show. To your point, Connie, about what you fought for in playing [Debra Newell in Dirty John], those are the things that will always resonate with an audience. It’s much more interesting to play and watch flawed characters, because we are all flawed,” Gugino said.

No official plans have been set into motion yet for a second season of Hill House, but with the show’s huge success, we’re betting that the anthology idea comes to fruition. Here’s hoping the Bent Neck Lady’s day in the sun isn’t over quite yet.